Inside a packed gymnasium filled with high school basketball enthusiasts, siblings Mya and Ally Moore had just suffered a tough loss to one of the best teams in Minnesota.

It didn’t take long, however, for frustration to turn into fascination.

Following Orono’s loss to Hopkins at the Breakdown Community Clash on Saturday, Jan. 31, looking across the gym at St. Michael-Albertville, they noticed another pair of talented sisters … playing against another set of talented sisters.

It was the Greenways of Providence Academy vs. the Ramlalls from Rosemount High.

The Moores grew up playing with and against Maddyn and Beckett Greenway, who last year helped Providence Academy win its fourth consecutive girls basketball state title.

“Maddyn and Beckett, we’re super close with them,” said Mya, a senior. “It’s cool to have our relationship on the court as sisters and see them as well. It’s pretty special. Having that experience playing together — it’s extra motivation that will help us this year.”

The Moores hope to follow that path of sibling team success. The Spartans last reached the state tournament in 2017, when the program won its first and only championship.

Across the state, success for a number of teams is attached to sisters powering their rosters.

The Moores lead Orono. The Greenways lead Providence Academy. Those teams are ranked No. 1 in Class 3A and 2A, respectively, by the state’s basketball coaches.

Minnetonka’s Lanelle Wright plays with her eighth- and seventh-grade siblings, Lariah and Lamairah, for a Skippers squad ranked fifth in Class 4A.

“Lanelle is probably the most calm and relaxed of the three,” Minnetonka coach Dre Jefferson said. “The younger two are pretty feisty and competitive. They love competing with each other in practice, and it’s fun to watch. They don’t take it easy on each other. That kind of sets the tone.”

Mya and Ashlee Wilson also not only set the tone for Hill-Murray, the fifth-ranked team in 3A, but are considered the top prospects in Minnesota’s 2027 and 2030 classes.

Then there are Amisha, Ashna and Arshia Ramlall, a sister trio powering Rosemount, the third-ranked team in 4A, and Audrey and Danika Shindelar lifting Stewartville, the second-ranked team in 3A.

On a team with two Division I recruits (Audrey signed with South Dakota State and Jayci Rath signed with St. Thomas), Danika Shindelar is a 6-foot sophomore point guard with college-level potential as well.

“It means a lot to be able to play with my sister,” Audrey Shindelar said. “We continue to make each other better. I’m more of a shooting guard. She’s so lengthy, and her court vision is amazing. She’s, like, bigger than me now.”

At the small-school level, Farrah and Aniyah Thomas have helped Mountain Iron-Buhl claim the No. 1 ranking in Class 1A. And Camryn and Quinn VanMaldeghem lead No. 3 New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva.

Moore talent in Orono

In an 81-80 win over Wayzata on Dec. 5, Mya Moore scored 37 points. Her younger sister Ally finished with a team-high seven assists, many of them passes to Mya.

Ally is constantly on the lookout for ways to set up her sister for buckets.

“We’ve been playing together for five years, and it’s been so much fun,” Mya said. “I feel like that’s the biggest advantage. We’re so close outside of basketball.”

Added Ally: “I’d say Mya is a better shooter than me. I’m not going to lie. Recently, I’ve been able to drive more and get to the paint. We’re very similar.”

Similar in game style and in appearance. Standing 5-foot-10 (Mya) and 5-9 (Ally) with long, blonde ponytails that swing as they fly up and down the court, the Moore sisters are often mistaken for each other by opponents. By the time a defender figures out which sister they’re defending, it’s too late.

“The Wilsons are obviously really good, and the Greenways are really good,” Orono coach Chris Bjorgaard said. “Mya is our unquestioned leader. She doesn’t force it. She has trust in her teammates. She’s just as happy to have 10 assists as 25 points. The other thing that goes unnoticed is Ally being a vital part of what we do and how we do it. When I didn’t have her for the section championship last year [due to injury], that just changed the dynamic of our team.”

The best sister combo?

Half of the top 10 recruits in the state’s Class of 2026 play alongside their younger sister.

The top recruit, Maddyn Greenway, a McDonald’s All-American who recently surpassed 5,000 career points, and her sister Beckett, a freshman, led all Minnesota sister tandems in scoring with 54 points per game combined through Monday, Feb. 2. Not too far behind are Hill-Murray’s Mya and Ashlee Wilson, who average 46.2 per game.

Bragging rights could be on the line when Providence Academy plays at Hill-Murray on Friday, Feb. 6.

“I don’t think it’s going to come down to that,” Mya Wilson, a junior forward, said. “I think we both have a lot of talent. I think it’s going to be a good game. Win or lose, it’s still going to be fun.”

The Greenways already got the best of the Ramlalls, leading Providence Academy to a 97-90 win over Rosemount at the Community Clash. Maddyn Greenway had 41 points.

Rosemount, though, arguably has the most highly recruited sister trio in Minnesota. Amisha is verbally committed to the Gophers, Ashna, a sophomore, has high-major Division I scholarship offers, and Arshia, a junior and Amisha’s twin, has visited potential landing spots at the Division II level.

Future looks up

Speaking of the Gophers, the Schoenrock sisters at St. Francis are the tallest sisters in the state, with big upside, too.

Junior Emily Schoenrock is 6-foot-4. Her eighth-grade twin sisters, Sophie and Haley, stand 6-4 and 6-2. Their parents, Rob and Andrea, played basketball at the U in the late 1990s.

Haley was powering the team with 15 points and nine rebounds per game before suffering a torn ACL that ended her season.

In January, Sophie returned from a knee injury and provided an inside presence with 20 rebounds in a recent win vs. Cambridge-Isanti. Emily was already a force in the paint, leading the state in total blocks and ranking in the top 12 in rebounding.

“[Emily] broke the school single-game record versus Princeton with 24 rebounds,” Rob said. “She gets a little frustrated getting double- and triple-teamed in the post, but she’s working through that.”

St. Francis will have more potential next season when all of the Schoenrock girls are healthy. Playing against Providence Academy earlier this season provided a glimpse at how they compare to other talented sisters in the state.

“It was fun seeing Haley and Emily go up against [the Greenways],” Rob said. “If you want to be the best, you’ve got to play the best. We wanted to show the girls: This is what the top looks like.”

Basketball Across Minnesota

Fuller’s five

Five Minnesota ballers who stood out:

Carter Bjerke, St. Thomas: The 6-9 junior from Wayzata broke the school’s Division I record with 10 three-pointers to score a career-high 30 points Jan. 31 in a win over Kansas City. Bjerke nailed seven threes in the first half.

Zadi Farmer, Jackson County Central: The freshman guard scored a career-high 48 points for the Huskies and drilled a program-record eight three-pointers in a win against Windom.

Maddyn Greenway, Providence Academy: The five-star senior guard and Kentucky recruit became the third girls player in state history to reach 5,000 points with 37 points in a win vs. Blake on Jan. 30.

Jalen Langsy, Northwestern College (Iowa): The sophomore guard from Shakopee scorched the nets with 48 points and finished a school-record 12-for-16 from beyond the arc in a Jan. 28 win against Dordt.

Christian Wiggins, Wayzata: The 6-5 guard and future Iowa State Cyclone was clutch for the Trojans with 45 points and the go-ahead score in the final seconds of a 97-96 OT win at Buffalo on Jan. 30.

Minnesotans in the pros: Holmgren is an All-Star

Most NBA players don’t win a championship. Chet Holmgren did it in his second season of action with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Most NBA players never make an All-Star team. Holmgren became a first-time All-Star in his third season when the Western Conference reserves were announced Feb. 1. He’s the first All-Star who is from Minnesota since Kevin McHale with the Boston Celtics in 1991.

Holgren, a former Minnehaha Academy and Gonzaga star, was averaging 17.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game entering Feb. 3. He’s considered a top candidate to win NBA defensive player of the year honors.

College team of the week

St. Cloud State has one of the hottest men’s college basketball teams in the country with 10 straight victories after an 80-78 win Jan. 31 at Minnesota Crookston.

The Huskies (17-5, 14-2 NSIC) nearly saw their winning streak end, but sophomore Luke Winkel and freshman Azayah Washington, a former St. Cloud Apollo guard, combined for 51 points and 10 three-pointers to help St. Cloud State escape.

Another challenge awaits SCSU against Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday.

Minnesota Top 25 update

The Wayzata boys and girls basketball teams are both ranked No. 1 in Class 4A in the same week for the first time this season.

The Trojans boys team regained the top spot in the state rankings Feb. 1. This came as a bit of a surprise because Tartan dropped to No. 2 despite remaining undefeated.

The Titans haven’t played tough opponents since beating Maple Grove and Mahtomedi in late December, but the Feb. 4 rematch against the Zephyrs could spruce up their résumé.

The Wayzata girls proved worthy of being the team to beat in 4A with wins against Hopkins and Minnetonka in late January, but the Trojans could be tested again Feb. 6 at Maple Grove.

Final thoughts ...

Sisters rule in Minnesota high school basketball this season, but I could have easily done a column on the best brother tandems in the state. Topping that list would definitely be Hopkins guards Jayden and Tre Moore, who teamed up to help the Royals beat Maple Grove last week. The Jordans (Thomas, Matthew and Tony) combined for 56 points in Buffalo’s overtime loss vs. Wayzata. Goodhue, behind Luke and Owen Roschen, is the No. 1 team in Class 1A. The Roschens led the school’s football team to the Prep Bowl in the fall. Athletic siblings are awesome.

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Basketball Across Minnesota will be published weekly on stribvarsity.com. Don’t be a stranger on X after reading, as chatting about these stories makes them even more fun to share. Thanks, Marcus (@Marcus_R_Fuller on X).